Snowshoeing

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sniff sniff....still no snow here.

BUT....I did have a "snowshoe day" in that I went to a 3 hour snowshoe "class" at a local conservation land and two women spoke about different types of snowshoes, a little about SS (snowshoe) history, and then we all strung the webbing by hand on little 14" bent ash wood frame snowshoes. It was FUN to learn the interesting waffle weave pattern and the knots- it was sort of like caning a chair. We used nylon laces, but once you shellac them when you're done they look amazingly like old sinew ones. One shoe took the whole time up (it was somewhat complicated weaving) but I look forward to lacing up the other little shoe at home here and finishing them and then shellacking them. I want to put them up somewhere on the wall- they are too cute! I'll post a picture when they're all done.

The next conservation-sponsored SS event is not until Feb 19th, and that's an actual outing so everyone is really hoping for some snow cover on the ground by then. Then on Feb 21 is a nightime full moon excursion on conservation land- either snowshoeing or hiking if there is no snow. Cool.

I love hearing about everyone else's SS adventures!

[surgtech1956]

How do you gals that wear glasses keep them from 'fogging' up? I think next time I am going to wear my contacts(don't wear them anymore, since my 'progressive lenses' - I gave up my contacts when my food starting getting too blurry)

[Crankin]

I wear contacts and sunglasses most of the time when I ski or snow shoe. There's stuff called Cat Cr*p (really) that you can buy at just about any sporting goods store that stops the fogging.

On a side note, why don't you just get reading glasses to wear over your contacts? That way, you don't have to have glasses on all of the time. I have a pair of progressives for the rare times I have my contacts out; I don't necessarily keep the prescription up to date, since I only wear them reading in bed.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I wear my glasses all the time. When I'm out biking or snowshoeing I wear some sunglasses that go right over my eyeglasses. They are called "fitovers". They look like regular sunglasses, but i like the way they protect my glasses and also keep them insulated against fogging, pebbles, bugs, wind, etc.
I wear these:
http://www.eagleeyes.com/products/staclips/fitons.lasso

[Wahine]

I was supposed to go to a friend's place today and learn to make naan. While the naan was rising we were supposed to go snowshoeing around her pear orchard.

But we got sooooooooooo much snow last night it was too dangerous to drive. That's saying a lot coming from me. So we ended up snowshoeing around our little town. That was pretty funny. We saw all kinds of cars literally buried, you couldn't see any actual car, just a big lump in the snow and 2 accidents from people trying to go someplace when they should have stayed home.

We had fun. But I'm going to have to pay an extra day on the snow shoe rental... I can't get them back into town.

[Crankin]

We had about 8 inches of beautiful powder yesterday. I went snow shoeing today for the first time in a month. We went to some trails that are usually good only right after a storm and the conditions were perfect. It looked like a winter wonderland; some of trails had unbroken snow and it was work! We only did about 2.2 miles, but almost all of it was climbing; at least 2/3.
It's funny, I have been hiking, skiing, mountain biking, and snow showing in this place, but it looks different for each sport.
Of course, afterwards we went and had a nice big mocha latte (with skim milk)...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

We had about 8 inches of beautiful powder yesterday. I went snow shoeing today for the first time in a month. We went to some trails that are usually good only right after a storm and the conditions were perfect. It looked like a winter wonderland; some of trails had unbroken snow and it was work! We only did about 2.2 miles, but almost all of it was climbing; at least 2/3.
It's funny, I have been hiking, skiing, mountain biking, and snow showing in this place, but it looks different for each sport.
Of course, afterwards we went and had a nice big mocha latte (with skim milk)...

Oh Robyn, you are so LUCKY! That same snowfall only gave us about 4"....not enough to snowshoe in. Only enough to be a nuisance to have to shovel.

I'm glad you had a beautiful snowshoe winter wonderland experience though.

[PAP103]

Here are some pictures from my snow shoe adventure at Ipswich Wildlife Sanctuary. We had a beautiful day and the birds were out feeding!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&x=0&y=-cxmd0r

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Our weather forecast:


Hazardous Weather Outlook
Heavy Snow Warning

Today...Partly sunny this morning...then becoming mostly cloudy. Highs in the lower 20s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight...Snow. Snow may be heavy at times after midnight. Snow accumulation of 5 to 10 inches. Near steady temperature in the lower 20s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent.

Saturday...Snow in the morning...then snow likely in the afternoon. Total accumulation of 6 to 12 inches. Not as cool with highs in the mid 30s. South winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph...becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of snow 90 percent.

Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy in the evening...then becoming partly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Lows around 16. Northwest winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

[Miranda]

OK, I'm enjoying reading this thread, and seriously considering some ss gear. I have a bit of buyer's remorse with my xc skiis I got last year, and also with my recent rink skates. I hate that.

Sooo, my question is, from what I read, it is "better" to have heavier duty snow shoes, vs lesser ones. It increases your terrain options. However...

How much flat snow do you need to not get hung up on the heavier ones? Like the bottom claw thingys (sorry, really techinical term I know, or need the crampons, etc.).

I don't want it to be total overkill, but it's upsetting having wasted money for being "under-geared" even MORE so I think. That, I want to avoid a repeat of.

Thx!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Miranda,
without knowing exactly the type of terrain you will be on, I will give you a 'short answer' based on my own experience.
Here is the Tubbs website, which clearly shows the various 'levels' of shoes.
http://www.tubbssnowshoes.com/produc..._snowshoes.asp
I know the Tubbs shoes so I am using them to help explain the various levels of shoes.

I seriously doubt you will need either of the top two "back country" heavy duty shoes the Tubbs site shows. They are for treacherous mountainous shoeing or heavy backpacking on steep terrain.

As to the low level Sojourn shoes- they are the cheapest but are for flat recreational light duty shoeing. My girlfriend had them and did have some trouble slipping when we were going up and down trails through the woods. Also the fasteners and strap system is a bit cheesy.

I would recommend the two day hiking shoes shown. I have the Wilderness model for myself, and the slightly cheaper Venture model for guests. The wilderness has MUCH better buckles/straps system, and I would say spend the extra money to get the Wilderness over the Venture for ease of use getting in and out of them in the cold snow. They both have good crampons. I find the Wilderness to be a great rugged shoe that I can turn and maneuver in very well.

Unless you are over 180 pounds, get the 25" or 26" shoes- they are PLENTY long enough. The bigger ones are good for heavy people or big tall men, but they are harder to manuever and turn in because of their big size.

Once you pick the model and the size you want, you can compare prices online and get a decent deal. I got one pair through an Ebay dealer and was delighted with the quick service. You can get last year's models sometimes for less- find out the previous model name and level.

Don't bother with poles for the time being...i never used mine after the first time, and I go through hilly woods a lot. Leg gators are a great investment however- they totally keep the snow from getting into your boots or from freezing your calves or ankles.

How much snow do you need? Well it doesn't really matter much whether you are wearing light duty or heavy duty snowshoes....you still will need at least 6" of snow to snowshoe effectively. Any less than that and there's not much point to snowshoeing- better to just wear boots.

I do think that snowshoes might come in handy during a big blizzard (hey I remember those!) and for fun use, they are a relatively cheap sports equipment investment compared to other recreations. And they last a long time without tuneups.

Hope this is helpful...